Seven Prompts for Writers
Writer’s block is an unwelcomed guest, and one I’ve never entertained in my twenty years of writing. Well, once I might have considered a chat with him, but when I refocused on the infinite possibilities for stories and book ideas, I simply had no need to be hoodwinked by such a charlatan.
We can indeed be inspired as we live out all the verbs of our lives. While shopping, weeding, driving, singing, crying, celebrating, birthing, cooking, arguing, dreaming, fuming, forgiving, eavesdropping, pretending, or dreaming.
Think of it. The possibilities are staggering. The stimulus is never ending. The potential is enormous.
But.
If you’re still staring at an empty page, try a few prompts to give the boot to that blocking brute. Writer’s prompts can also be a great tool to improve one’s craft or as a warm-up in the morning the way runners limber their muscles before taking on the road.
One excellent resource is The Writer’s Idea Book by Jack Heffron, published by Writer’s Digest Books. The book is chocked full of writer’s prompts (over 400) and is a marvelous tool for developing ideas for fiction and nonfiction works.
Below I’ve included a week’s worth of my own prompts. See how you like them. I hope they help. Then, the next time writer’s block competes for your attention, invite your muse over instead. He makes better company, and he carries his own weight!
1. Think of the most peaceful day you’ve ever had. Now imagine several events that will turn your perfect day upside down. Write that scene.
2. What is your most beloved material possession? Now imagine someone you trust trying to either romance or steal that treasure away from you. Write that scene and then read your work out loud.
3. Write a page of heated dialogue involving betrayal between two sisters who suddenly show up at the same day spa to get their nails done. Now write that same scene adding a humorous overtone. Which scene works better? Why?
4. Using internal thoughts write about the first time you saw the love of your life. Write your feelings out quickly without editing. Then polish.
5. Using alteration and the voice of a child, describe a birthday party gone awry.
6. Summon the worst nightmare you’ve ever had. Write the scene in first person. Now change the scene to third person. Which scene works better?
7. If you could create your own utopia, what would it be? Using all the senses take us there in a paragraph or two.
Writing the Cozy Mystery
Ten Killer Tips
1. How better to acquaint oneself with the cozy mystery genre than to read a pile of Agatha Christie novels? She sold over two billion books, after all! They are a fun read and will also teach you the basic formula of writing a cozy. Two of the books in my pile were And Then There Were None and Black Coffee. Be aware, though, that publishers will have their own guidelines for you to follow, but a Christie marathon is a great start. Once you’ve immersed yourself in the genre then brainstorm some ideas of your own. A good book for general plotting is The Plot Thickens by Noah Lukeman.
2. What if you still have no idea how to start? Make a list of things you’re interested in. What are your particular strengths? Do you have a talent for playing the flute, or are you a boat person? Perhaps you have a degree in business, or a background in floral design, or a fascination with natural phenomena. Use what you know, what you have a passion for, and even use your personality quirks. You know, the ones that irritate your spouse. What about Obsessive Compulsive Behavior? Apparently someone thought it would be a great character trait for the hero in a mystery series, since the disorder is being used brilliantly and humorously in the television show, Monk.
3. Find a unique angle. My mystery series has a gothic tone with a chick-lit flair. Since there were very few Ann Radcliffe style gothic novels in the Christian marketplace, I thought that would give a fresh feel to the standard whodunit. Then my heroine, Bailey Walker, adds her own witty inner thought life to the work, which gives the series a chick-lit feel.
4. Write the kind of mysteries you’d love to read. That passion will infuse and energize your work. Readers will take notice. They always know the difference between an author who is just fulfilling a word count to make a deadline versus a writer who is in love with her story.
5. Find a couple of critique partners you trust and respect. They are invaluable. You can find these wonderful people at writers’ conferences, online writers’ groups, and writers’ organizations.
6. Cozy mysteries do not have to be about murder. But a crime must be committed. I have three mysteries coming out in The Volstead Manor Series, and they each highlight a different crime. The first mystery, Another Stab at Life, will deal with burglary as well as a potpourri of other crimes. Another Hour to Kill will lead the readers through a maze of clues which surround a murder, and the last one in the series, Another Grave Matter, will be a whodunit centering on arson.
7. As you’re writing, you may find a need to have a book on police procedures to answer your questions about law enforcement, or you might be lucky enough to know an expert who would be happy to share his knowledge with you. My neighbor is a former police officer and detective. He has been a great resource when it comes to the functional details of law enforcement. People love to visit about their professions. They feel honored when you ask their opinion. But do remember, cozy mysteries should deal mostly with the amateur sleuth, not the seasoned pro on the streets. That’s another whole genre. But the amateur sleuth may receive help from any number of sources. My sleuth, Bailey, reads a lot of mystery novels, and so some of her ideas and know-how comes directly from her favorite mysteries.
8. Make sure you have enough suspects, but not so many you confuse the reader. Also, mystery writers still use red herrings, which are misleading clues to take the reader off in the wrong direction. Always play fair with your readers, though, by setting out enough clues to give the reader a chance to figure out the culprit. By withholding vital information, you cheat your readers out of one of the reasons they buy whodunits—so they can piece together a puzzle. At the end of your book, you want your readers to say one of two things. "Ahhaa. I knew it was the accountant!" Or you want them to say, "How clever. I wouldn’t have guessed the accountant, but that makes perfect sense now!"
9. In a cozy mystery, think snug neighborhood. I have my three mysteries set in Houston, but the cul-de-sac where my characters live exudes a small town atmosphere. Also, mysteries usually have a quirky character or two. In Another Hour to Kill, two my eccentric characters are Eunice Musgrove and Ozzie Keebly. Yes, they are as odd as their names.
10. Cozy mysteries are about the puzzle, not the gore. A violent act and a dead body may be described, but not with the same grisly details as you might read about in a hardboiled mystery. Avoid the gruesome, but never forget to make your writing so tight and your characters so interesting and your plot so twisting that your readers haven’t a moment to catch their breath until the very last word!